The God of the Broken

The Word from the Vine: Luke 5:27-32

        After this he went out, and saw a tax collector, named Levi, sitting at the tax office; and he said to him, "Follow me." And he left everything, and rose and followed him. And Levi made him a great feast in his house; and there was a large company of tax collectors and others sitting at table with them. And the Pharisees and their scribes murmured against his disciples, saying, "Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?" And Jesus answered them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."

The Text Made Fresh (Gospel Parallels)

Matthew 9:9-13; Mark 2:13-17; Luke 5:27-32

        This text is a good example of a triple tradition that generally agrees with one another. Here are some important points and slight differences found in this text:

• This is about the call of a man “sitting at the tax office”. In Matthew, his name is, of course, Matthew while in Mark and Luke, he is called Levi. Mark adds a simple detail, “Levi, son of Alphaeus.
• The three agree on the manner in which Levi responded to Jesus when he asked him to follow him. “And he rose and followed him.” There is one important detail though found only in Luke 5:28, “And he left everything, and rose and followed him.” It is believed that Luke’s community is composed of middle class and wealthy Gentile converts who have become complacent in the practice of their faith. Luke perhaps includes this tiny detail to emphasize one’s readiness to freely drop everything, even material possessions, in order to follow Jesus. 
• Levi then prepares a ‘party’ in his house and invited other tax collectors and ‘public’ sinners. The Pharisees attack this, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” The three gospel writers agree, almost verbatim, as to Jesus’ response to the Pharisees, “οὐ χρείαν ἔχουσιν οἱ ὑγιαίνοντες ἰατροῦ ἀλλὰ οἱ κακῶς ἔχοντες” (Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.).
• The typical Matthean writer once again makes reference to the Hebrew scripture, this time from Hosea, by exhorting the Pharisees to learn what this means: “I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.” 
• Luke makes a distinct last-minute appeal to his community in Luke 5:32, “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

·         For our prayer consideration, let us reflect on how Jesus calls us to repentance and invites us to follow him. Spend a minute or two in silent reflection and then watch this video:

 

The Word Made Fresh (Reflection)

I find it strange how Jesus immediately saw Matthew while passing by the tax collectors’ office. Matthew must have been sitting outside their office. Ang galing namang tumayming ni Hesus.

We know that tax collectors during the time of Jesus collaborated with Roman authorities and therefore considered enemies by the Jewish people. Some collectors levied additional ‘taxes’ on the people which made life harder for most of them. So if Matthew was sitting outside their office, he made himself an easy target of people’s aggression. But he risked it anyway. Bakit kaya?

The only reason I can think of was that Matthew probably had had enough – he wanted to change his lifestyle but didn’t know how to go about it. A perfect opportunity came when Jesus walked towards him and told him simply yet powerfully, “Follow me.” Kumbaga, marunong talagang tumayming si Hesus.

Jesus comes to us in moments and places where we least expect him to be. His presence is most felt and his call most audible when we are at a crisis point in our lives, when we are most vulnerable, when we are most, perhaps, sinful. These moments are ‘perfect’ opportunities for his healing love to take its full effect. Such is his presence that, like Matthew, we simply drop everything when we hear his gentle, loving call. He came not for the righteous but for sinners and broken people like you and me. He is after all the God of the broken.